By Fr. George Dorbarakis
1. Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, who flourished during the times of the emperor Julian the Apostate (361–363 A.D.), was from Egypt and was born to wealthy parents. At a young age he followed Venerable Pachomios in the Thebaid of Egypt and entered under his spiritual guidance, while he became one of his most beloved disciples. A faithful imitator of his teacher in the monastic life, he succeeded him after his repose in the abbacy of the Monastery. For the purity of his life and his holiness he was endowed by God with the grace of wonderworking. And because of his perfect purity of soul and body he received the title "Sanctified." Venerable Theodore reposed in peace in 367 A.D.
2. The origin of Venerable Theodore from Egypt becomes the first occasion for the ecclesiastical poet in order to bring forth the change that the Lord Jesus Christ brought into the world. Already he notes that the great Saint of today, as also all the saints of God before and after him in Egypt, were predestined by Christ to become saints, after long ago He descended into Egypt and, foreseeing as God their response to His calling, He called them and saved them and glorified them, according to the word of the Apostle Paul (Rom. 8). “Making the clouds His ascent as Master, having before descended into Egypt on a light cloud, He predestined the elect who shone forth, those being caught up in clouds as God-minded ones, among whom is Theodore the Sanctified, our Father” (Vespers Sticheron).
Therefore the conclusion is obvious: “Egypt, which formerly was maddened by demonic rites and passions, is now beautified by ranks of ascetics” (Vespers Sticheron). And this of course means: where we have the presence of the grace of God, there every power of the demons disappears; consequently the previous foulness and ugliness become fragrance and beauty. In other words, God makes every place a paradise, provided there are people who desire to respond with good disposition to His calling.
Saint Theophanes the Hymnographer, who only on the previous day hymned the struggles and holiness of the great Pachomios, could not possibly fail also to extol his spiritual child, Venerable Theodore. Great was Pachomios, equally great also Theodore. Why? Because Theodore, as a genuine disciple and obedient one of his teacher, followed him with genuineness in all his ascetic conduct. “Having become a fellow-ascetic with the divine Pachomios, you zealously followed his ways, O God-minded Father Theodore, imitating his temperance and his Orthodox faith” (Ode 4). Thus the relationship of Pachomios toward Theodore, the relationship of Elder toward obedient disciple, as also vice versa, is projected as a type and example: where there exists a disposition of obedience, there holiness is manifested at the highest possible point, in the sense that both the Elder receives strength for spiritual progress, but chiefly the obedient disciple is raised to holiness relatively easily, following the footprints of his spiritual father.
Saint Theophanes does not cease extolling this disposition of obedience of Venerable Theodore — obedience of course to his Spiritual Father, but in reality obedience to the Lord Himself. His ascetical mindset, in order to keep the will of God, was exceptional, so much so that our Hymnographer characterizes him as a martyr. Many times it has been said that a martyr is not only he who in a time of persecutions gives his life, but also in every age he who struggles unto death against sin inwardly in his conscience. “Having become a steadfast martyr, resisting sin unto blood, O God-minded Theodore” (Ode 8). And that which for Saint Theophanes was the decisive element for the martyric mindset against sin by Venerable Theodore was also his love for the study of the law of God. The Venerable one preserved his psychic purity, because the meanings of the word of God were those things which ruled within his soul through his unceasing study. “Studying diligently the most pure law, O Father, you became wholly pure and clean” (Ode 1). It is a crucial truth of the faith: no one can stand upright in the spiritual life and oppose sin if he does not have as his daily concern the study of the word of God. The more one has in his thought and heart the word of God, so much also is he cleansed from demonic influences and shameful passions.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
